Olfactif is a monthly perfume sampling subscription. Every month, you’ll receive a curated collection of three niche fragrances (2.25 mL for most, occasionally 1.75 mL) by perfume artists from around the world. You will also receive an $18 credit towards a full-sized purchase of one of the month’s featured fragrances.
Olfactif offers a unisex collection and recently began offering a men’s collection as well. This is a review of the unisex collection.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Olfactif
The Cost: $18
COUPON: Receive 15% off your first collection by joining their mailing list - no coupon needed, just link here for a pop-up!
The Products: Three 2.25 mL sample spray bottles from three fragrance artists from around the world.
Ships to: US
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Each Olfactif collection comes with a card offering instructions on how to try out the fragrances.
It’s important to note that fragrances may smell different when you wear them than when you spray them on a card or piece of paper. They may also smell different on different people due to individual body chemistries.
Also, the fragrances develop and change over time, with different notes becoming prominent. “Top” notes form your initial impression but evaporate within a few minutes, so you may still love a fragrance even if you are not fond of the top notes. “Middle” or “heart” notes emerge after you’ve been wearing the fragrance for a few minutes up to an hour. “Base” notes are large, heavy molecules that persist for a long time. They are often richer than the top or middle notes, although they may contribute to how you perceive the top and middle notes due to their interactions with the other fragrance components.
The collection also included an information card about this month’s theme and the notes in the individual fragrances that were sent. This month’s theme was “Spring Day.”
Each Olfactif collection comes in a custom black case. This month’s theme was Chromatherapy, the idea being that the scents would make us think of specific colors.
Spring by Dasein – This has notes of vetiver, violet, sandalwood, rose, yuzu, and black pepper. I loved Autumn by Dasein (though the cinnamon in it irritated my skin) and Winter by Dasein (smelled like a pine forest). This one’s connection to the season isn’t quite as clear for me, though it does make me think of the color green as the card suggests. This is sort of herbal at first but the flowers come through after the top notes wear off. I like the idea of a spring fragrance that’s not a flower explosion since I am not a huge fan of floral scents.
Notes of Sauvignon Blanc by Kelly & Jones – This has notes of yuzu grapefruit, starfruit, green apple, and camellia. I would never have guessed that based on my “blind” experience of this fragrance, because this is a little more floral to me than fruity, but when I go back after having read the card, I can see how the fruits are worked into the overall blend. This is a nice daytime sort of fragrance. Apparently it is supposed to make me think of the color of Sauvignon Blanc, which I am not sure that I am getting from it, though.
Hansa Yellow by DSH perfumes – This has notes of lemon essence, green banana peel, Tunisian neroli, grandiflorium jasmine, ylang ylang, orange blossom, butter, Tahitian vanilla, and Australian sandalwood. This one is supposed to make us think of the color bright yellow, but I can’t shake the idea of the color pink because of bubblegum scent it is giving me. Maybe that is just my body chemistry. Despite that, I think this is my favorite of the bunch and it is probably because of the vanilla and sandalwood.
Verdict: This was an interesting month for me from Olfactif. I am definitely more of an autumn/winter fragrance type person but I liked that the florals this month were more muted and mellowed out by the overall blends since I am not typically a fan of floral fragrance. This was an unconventional approach to spring fragrances but overall, it worked for me.
What do you think of the May 2016 Olfactif collection? What was your favorite fragrance this month?
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